''Achieving Good Governance'' Explores Achieving Bottom Line Business Value Beyond Sarbanes-Oxley.

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Compilation of Frontlines Forum Conference Content Reveals First-Year SOX Implementations Painful, but Beneficial to Businesses, Investors

Certus Software, Inc., today announced the availability of "Achieving Good Governance, Vol. 1, Shift to Value," a comprehensive collection of advice, lessons learned and perspective from governance leaders, practitioners and business executives on compliance best practices and policies. Based on presentations made at the Spring Frontlines Forum in San Francisco, the book focuses on measures that companies can take to derive tangible business value from their compliance and corporate governance efforts, including the oft-debated Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404.

Despite reports that businesses are spending more than originally anticipated on Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance and that executives are questioning if the benefits derived from compliance are worth the time, cost and effort, contributors to "Achieving Good Governance" reveal that many companies report new-found business value in the form of improved internal processes and increased investor confidence.

"We have experienced a justifiable legislative and regulatory response to a series of major accounting scandals," writes Roderick Hills, Chairman of Frontlines Forum and former SEC Chairman, in the book's Foreword. "In turn, companies are complaining that Section 404 is filled with expensive and needless requirements and amounts to little more than a 'compliance tax.'" But Hills goes on to explain an alternative view that sees Section 404 "as the foundation of a valuable management tool that creates information, best practices, and competitive advantages useful in running a successful company."

The topics in "Achieving Good Governance" create an effective review of the challenges of meeting compliance mandates in today's corporate climate, and the strategies companies can take to "make lemonade from their lemons." Some of the topics include:

--Value Shift: Is Compliance a Catalyst for Sustainable Business Performance?

--How Has Sarbanes-Oxley Affected Investor Confidence?

--Creating an Effective Roadmap for Compliance

--In the SOX Era, Companies Consider Optimal Ways to Work with External Auditors

--Tales from the Trenches: Three Leading Companies Discuss SOX Best Practices

--Partnering with IT to Achieve Governance Objectives

The more than 25 contributors to "Achieving Good Governance" are some of the leading thinkers on and practitioners of governance who look at the issues from very different perspectives, to name a few:

--Dennis Powell, CFO, Cisco Systems,

--Susan Decker, CFO, Yahoo!,

--Lynn Sharp Paine, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School,

--Lane Leskela, Vice President & Research Director, Gartner, Inc.,

--Raymond Beier, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers,

--Steven Bochner, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati,

--John Murphy, Vice President & General Auditor, The DIRECTV Group,

--Michael Rimkus, Audit Director, T-Mobile USA,

--Lee Dittmar, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP,

--George Tucker, Director of International Auditing & Assurance Standards, Ernst & Young LLP.

To request a copy of "Achieving Good Governance, Vol. 1, Shift to Value," please click here: http://www.frontlinesforum.com/research/regC.html.

About Frontlines

Frontlines(SM) proactively addresses corporate governance standards; compliance, risk and audit practices; and their impact on business, through primary research and its thought leadership conference, Frontlines Forum. Established to foster shared dialogue and learning, Frontlines Forum brings together a select group of policy makers, auditors, academics, governance thought leaders, and practitioners in public corporations. For information email [e-mail] or visit www.frontlinesforum.com.

About Certus

Certus Software, Inc., the proven leader of corporate governance and compliance software for the enterprise, helps organizations build a consistent and sustainable compliance practice that extends beyond compliance requirements to generate lasting business value. Its powerful Certus software suite ensures the transparency and accuracy of internal controls, while leveraging Sarbanes-Oxley conformance as a change agent for immediate accountability and even greater business benefits in the future. Certus' growing list of successful customers includes Alcon, Inc., Burlington Resources, Countrywide Financial, Dell, DIRECTV, E*Trade, Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, Mills Corporation, Norfolk Southern, PepsiCo, Polaroid, Seagate Technology and T-Mobile USA. To learn more about Certus, visit www.certus.com.